Survival, Take Two
by LadyMacaroon
Summary: The gang are marooned on an island yet again... How will they cope with a daunting disaster that threatens them with... DEATH.
1. Chapter 1

Amber tossed her short dark hair out of her face, as she kicked out at the stubborn oar that was lodged into the boat. She and the four fellow members of Alpha Force were having a holiday... again. But for the first time, she was commanding the mission; well maybe not. Amber sat on the stern of the small boat, a chart spread out over her lap, a compass in her hand.

Hex, Paulo and Alex were rummaging in the cabin for some supplies, while Li, being the smallest one flipped around, climbing the rigging. Amber felt a sense of deja vu, for that was what Li had done when they had first met. She smiled fondly, remembering quite how bitchy she was when she first met the group. Herself, not Li.

"Amused?" Alex walked towards her, holding a large toolbox, obviously belonging to Paulo.

"Oh, just the guy I needed, but I would actually need Paulo more, your expertise in fixing things does not go down well, especially when you are simply poking around." sneered Amber, only half joking. Alex looked hurt, but then laughed, remembering that she had been way worse before. Amber's eyes flicked over to her watch, and as usual, reached for her belt pouch to get her insulin, before yelling to Hex to relieve her from her shift.

Hex stepped down from the cabin, with Paulo trailing behind, his trademark smile and lazy attitude as prominent as usual. Briskly, he plonked down on the stern and began patching up the boat, gently sticking his tools in gaps. Hex sat down and began to read the maps. He pulled out his state-of-the-art palmtop and began to hook onto the sattelite.

As the day grew warmer, the gang began to feel drowsy. As they were sailing the Indian Ocean, they were all severely jet-lagged, apart from Li who was now currently based in Tokyo, but even if she was, she had so much energy that it made Paulo want to _siesta _just looking at her lithe figure.

Hex stared out into the seemingly endless view of the ocean. He felt sleepy. As his shift droned on and on, he felt his eyes closing.

**A/N: This is my first fic... pls review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Li rushed onto the deck, her dark hair swinging to and fro. When she saw the peacefully sleeping Hex, she groaned.

"Crap. HEX WAKE UP BEFORE WE END UP IN TIMBUKTU" she screamed, pounding the deck wrathfully. Alex emerged from the cabin, tousle-haired and only half dressed. Amber stormed out of the girls cabin with a murderous expression that could only be described as _enough to kill the entire population with one bomb_. Paulo stuck his head out of the boys' room and tumbled out as Amber wrenched the door open. He stood up, bleary-eyed until he caught sight of Amber and then raised his hand up in surrender.

Meanwhile, Li had been screaming at Hex, as Amber began to whack him with her maps.

"Ummm, people? You do realise that we are totally off course? We are headed straight for..." Alex paused to consult the palmtop. "A tiny little island that is not far away from the centre of the ocean."

"Great. How are we gonna get out of this, huh? Code boy? You can't use your palmtop to get us out of this goddamned mess, so what are you going to do, Einstein?" asked Amber, her voice dripping with sarcasm and malice.

"People, when you are done, I think we are going straight on course to, whats that called again, a little forest that is wet." said Paulo, trying to find the right word in his not-so-extensive vocabulary.

"Rainforest?" asked Alex, as Paulo nodded in understanding.

"Oh god." whispered Li, shielding her eyes, as the current rolled the boat towards the island...

**A/N: I love cliffhangers... Review if you want more!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Shout out to EMMADACTRYL for being the 1st 2 review!**

The white boat hurtled at an alarming speed towards the little island. Hex clutched his palmtop protectively, as it was not his first time getting it chucked into the sea. Frothy water churned about, making it rock to and fro.

"GET OUT OF THE BOAT" screamed Paulo, snatching one of the emergency bags that had become dislodged. Hex began stuffing his precious palmtop into one of the spare Zip-Loc bags, before Amber and Li bundled him off, each with a pack. Alex leapt off last, simultaneously checking his survival kit and knife. But as he leapt off, the engines began to crumble; a sharp piece of coral had pierced it. The boat turned into a Molotov Cocktail; burning embers sizzling and exploding, Alex engulfed within.

Amber swam with powerful strokes, feet nimbly avoiding the sharp reef. When she looked back, she saw only three silhouettes bobbing around. She scanned the area for the fourth face.

"Damn," growled Amber. "WE ALREADY LOST A GODDAMNED PERSON" she yelled. Li and Paulo began to haul themselves out of the reef, only to see the blazing ship. Hex, however, had thrown his dry palmtop and ziplocs onto the beach and began swimming out, his muscled arms and legs pulling him on. Soon after, he had reached the boat. Leaping into the embers, he began to search blindly for his friend.

"Christ, why am I always in these situations?" he muttered, feeling more claustraphobic by the second. As he choked on the flames, he saw a flutter of life...

"ALEX!" Hex exploded into the compartment, skidding wildly. But no, he saw a tall gangly person with blond hair and grey eyes, but the person was completely still...

**A/N: Tee Hee, another cliffhanger! :) If you enjoyed, pls review! **


	4. Chapter 4

Oh god, thought Amber, as she saw Hex disappear into the wreck. This was not the first time she had seen her friend disappear into a burning wreck to save others. The first time was in Africa, where her friend Khalid had been kidnapped brutally by the Scorpion. She remembered her anguish and worry as she thought about Hex burning in the unimog, burning inside a claustrophobic space. She bit her lip, waiting...

Hex grabbed Alex, hoisting his unconscious body over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, fighting flames with his bare hands. He kicked out at burning objects, trying to get out. He saw an opening in the floor, and without thinking, he plunged into the ocean.

Powering himself and Alex up towards the surface, Hex's a brown hair emerged from the ocean, Alex's blond hair floating about, head lolling limply.

"Omigosh, Hex!" squealed Amber, diving into the reef with scarcely a ripple. She and Hex towed Alex towards the bay, until she noticed that the water around her turned a gory shade of red...

**A/N: Should I continue this story? Thanks for the kind reviews! **

**N.B: I will try to release a chapter every day, but thanks to school and my senile geography teacher, I might miss a day or two. ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

Li's heart jumped into her mouth as she saw the water around the three explode into red. Paulo closed his eyes, smelling the scent of blood less than 50m away.

"Don't ya bloody dare die on me!" growled Amber, as she and Hex towed the tall 16 year old. Hex feared for his palmtop, but to his relief, Paulo was already wiping the sand off. At last, they reached the edge, Amber panting like a dog, Hex's emerald eyes steely and cold as ice. Alex lay motionless.

"Is he..." whispered Li, clutching Paulo's hand, as they edged towards him. Suddenly, Alex sat up and began looking around bewildered.

"MOTHER OF GOD YOU SCARED THE HELL OUTTA ME!" yelled Amber, who had previously been sobbing. Her angry tone jolted Alex back into life again, as he opened his grey eyes; bemused. She grinned sadistically, showing her toothpaste-advert teeth. Li however, did a flying leap into the air and hugged him for all she was worth. Paulo prised her off.

"Oooookkaaaaaay," drawled Amber. "Alex, sit your ass down while Li sorts out the supplies. Hex, you can do the coconuts while Paulo and I try to find a source of water."

"I am OK," protested Alex, but quieted at Amber's pointed icy stare. She grinned, she and Paulo strolling off.

* * *

A few hours later, Amber and Paulo came back holding a huge armful of pawpaw, fig and wild lemon, Paulo's thick band of muscle holding a large branch with mangoes on it.

"Allright, Paulo, start patching up that Northumbrian dude there, and Hex can help do another goddamned aquaduct, like last time. Ok I need to give ya a LITTLE credit for that, Mr. Smartass." drawled Amber, ripping her belt pouch off and grabbing her insulin pens.

"Ok, this is what we have in the way of supplies: a really titchy medical kit, two 24 hour ration packs, a large bottle of water, a few sporks, two bags and a pack of Amber's gummy bears." said Li.

"Heyyyyy... Not my fault I'm a diabetic." moaned Amber, snatching the sweets.

"_Dios mio_. Dammit, _amigo." _scowled Paulo, wrenching himself into a standing position.

"What?" whispered Li, as Amber hugged her comfortingly.

"We need to stitch that leg, and there is a serious possibility of a coma from smoke inhalation. He's crazy, delirious, off his rocking chair, if that is how you say it. _Hombre,_ your English is so difficult!" grumped Paulo, acting like an old lady who missed her soap opera shows. Well, then again he had worked his butt off for a long time dealing with the crazy injuries that AF had picked up.

"No, its 'off your rocker', that means you are nuts." replied Hex patiently, smirking inwardly at his confused friend.

"Eh?" Paulo occasionally had a bit of trouble with English phrases from time to time.

"Can't you get a connection on your bloody palmtop and get my uncle here pronto?" asked Amber sarcastically, hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah, tried that but I cannot find a connection!" drawled Hex.

"Try again, you lazy butt!" retorted Amber, glaring.

"See!" Hex showed her the palmtop.

"Sorraaaay!" she murmured sheepishly.

"Looks like we are gonna be here for a loooooong time." moaned Li, dangling from a palm tree.

* * *

After two hours of intensive 'Argentinean Native' care from Paulo (complete with 'traditional' Paulo-style rain dancing and cursing in Spanish), Alex was slightly awake. He was lowered onto one of the a-frame beds that the group had constructed earlier, and the gang was shooed away by Paulo.

"PAULO!" mumbled Alex groggily.

"Ehhh? HES TALKIN!" yelled Paulo, in a voice so loud that it made Alex's head pound like people were playing gongs in there.

"I'm fine! Let me up and do stuff!" whined Alex, pouting feeling so embarrassed that he was so incapitated.

"No, you must stop whinging, drink this and do not even think about saying you are fine, you are clearly ill!" reprimanded Hex, handing him a large cup of water, freshly boiled.

"BUT I AM FINE!" whinged Alex.

" Will you stop acting like a three year old?" snarled Amber.

"Oh, he's just delerious, Amber, lay off the guy." whispered Li, guiding her away.

"Listen, there is no point in arguing, it is totally obvious you have a headache and are sick! Please pipe down, before Amber stuffs her gummy bears down your throat! You have swallowed so much smoke I am surprised that you are not a steam engine! Now please ssh and sleep, and MAYBE we might let you up tomoz." clucked Paulo firmly, draping a blanket over him with a motherly gesture, and silencing him with a glare that would have made Amber proud.

**A/N: Enjoyed? Surprise, a long chapter! Pls review! AND there is no cliffhanger!**


	6. Chapter 6 AUTHORS NOTE

Obviously, I do not own any of the AF charachters, even though I widh I did. I only own the plot!

Thx,

LadyMacaroon


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Paulo woke to the sound of bashing wood on a coconut.

"Eh?" wondered Paulo, bemused until he saw that Li was pounding grubs.

"Oh good. You can sample my stew, it's called Le Stew of Awesomeness! There is wild rice, water, meat chunks and meat soup, as well as some wild yams." announced Li with a theatrical bow. Paulo looked doubtfully at the simmering brown gloop cooking in various coconut shells, before strolling over to check on Alex.

Li tugged on a tube of curry sauce from one of the ration packs she had acquired, as Paulo began to rouse Alex.

"Oi! Li! Some of us are trying to goddamned sleep!" shrieked Amber, as she was awoken by the crashing, before she paled at the sight of the grubs, shaking her head.

"No, those are for dessert." giggled Paulo flamboyantly, tossing his dark curls about, before checking on Alex, as Amber began to glare at him.

"All right, mate?" asked Hex worriedly. He was moody after the fact that he still had no internet connection, therefore making the hacker in a grumpy mood.

Hombre, this guy is too selfless for his own good, thought Paulo grimly. Wait and see what I have for you now.

"For the last time, I am fine!" croaked Alex indignantly. Paulo pursed his lips.

"For the last BLOODY time, you are not fine! You are still sick from the smoke! Apart from that, you have a higher temperature than normal and if you don't stay in your damned bed, I will chain you to it and confiscate your knife!" bellowed Paulo, steam practically rising from his ears. Alex had to relent though. He felt absolutely horrible, but yet embarrassed to show it. The usually cheerful Latino wasin a dirty mood now, and Li was. sure he would explode.

After Paulo had tutted and fussed over Alex, Amber crouched by the fire.

"Paulo? I think there might be something seriously wrong with Alex. From the last time we were in a fire, he was fine, Hex was the one rolling around like a pony with a seizure. I think this is something more. Worse." sighed Amber. She felt odd; Alex was usually the calm and quiet leader, but the team looked to her now.

"Alex? Are you sure you are fine? Coz if I find out that you are lyin to me, I will bust you up worse than Hex!" yelled Amber.

"Fine. I feel absolutely terrible." admitted Alex.

"See Paulo? Now you get to deal with him." grinned Amber sadistically.

Even after Paulo had dealt with him in every way he could, Alex felt worse by the hour. Alpha Force draped their bunk blankets on him every night, fighting against the harsh tropical winds.

Oh God, code boy. Now the world relies on you getting your WiFi connection, thought Amber, but for now, we must survive. OH CRAP WE DON'T HAVE ALEX ANYMORE...

* * *

"AAARGH! There is a bloody damn leeeeeeech stuck to meeee!" hollered Amber madly, running round in circles trying to free the leech. Li rolled her eyes, remembering Amber's first encounter with a leech. She had screeched and hollered loudly, jumping onto trees in a swamp.

"Any progress?" asked Li, ambling over to Paulo, a tin cup of tea in her slim, china-white hands. Paulo felt a electric current buzz through him as their fingers connected briefly. As she turned, her long plait brushed against Paulo's cheek.

_Dios mio_, how does she dazzle me like that? Wondered Paulo, as he pulled open the little medical kit and shook out a box of pills, all sorts of them. He grimly dug his hand into the box and rummaged till he had found what he wanted. The box rattled in his hands as he pressed two pills out of their blisters and gave them to Alex.

* * *

An hour later, Li and Paulo had straddled backpacks; they were going to try and find some more food, as they were running low. Li immediately swung up into the trees and leapt down with an armful of banana leaves and a large bunch of plantain. Paulo had found some more wild yams and other goodies, while Li, bored as usual, had shimmied up a coconut tree and looted the entire lot, palm fronds and all. As she began to exploit a tidal pool, Paulo dropped his haul at Amber's feet and hurried over to Hex. The hacker was keeping half an eye on Alex as he kept checking his palmtop and cellphone for a signal.

"How is he?" mused Paulo, feeling his head.

"Taking a turn for the worst." sighed Hex.

"Check your signal." demanded Amber.

"Fine..." typed Hex.

"WELL?" yelled Amber.

"YEAAAAAAY I HAVE FOUND A CONNECTION! Sending an email to John Middleton." muttered Hex, his fingers flying over the keys in an eerie dance.

* * *

As Amber got into bed, she noticed a slight rustle coming from the bed beside her.

"Hex?" she mumbled groggily.

"Crap. John's got out location, but he cannot arrive until Tuesday." he replied.

"Damn. Thats eight days. Will Alex be OK?" she whispered.

"Amber?" a croaky voice whispered.

"Alex? Are you OK?" she whispered back.

"Good to see you alive again, mate." smiled Hex. As he took a closer look, he saw that the white face was drawn with discomfort.

"PAULO! GET YOUR GIANT ASS OUT OF BED!" squealed Amber, dragging Paulo out.

"_DIOS MIO_!" yelled Paulo.

"This sounds bad..."

* * *

**A/N: Do ya like it? Please review. As I said, none of the characters belong to me, they are Chris Ryans'. Even though I wish they were, they are not. Chris Ryan is really remarkable, and his AF series is awesome.**


	8. Chapter 8

Damn, thought Paulo, hauling himself out of bed. All of a sudden, a piercing scream rang through the air. Through the dim light, he saw a thick brown coil slowly wrapping itself around Li, her already small form dwarfed by the thick...

"SNAKE!" yowled Paulo, springing a meter into the air and flying over towards Li. Her long black hair was splayed, as her lips slowly turned blue as she suffocated.  
Help, her hazel eyes said, putting more in her eyes than Paulo could comprehend. In the second before Paulo reacted, her eyes rolled back and her head went slack.

Paulo did a dive-roll towards Alex, snatching his hunting knife from the sheath in one smooth movement. Alex yelped in shock as his beloved knife was snatched from his grip. The Argentinean boy sprung into the air, knife a steel arc of death in the night sky. He launched himself at the snake, hacking it to chunks, leaving its head gruesomely distended from the single torso.

Amber and Hex rushed to help Paulo, pulling off the dead snake off Li.

"Go back to bed. I will take care of her." Paulo choked back tears as he felt for her pulse. He was relieved that there was one.

* * *

"Paulo?" mumbled Li.

"LI!" he squealed, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"What? I'm still alive." she whispered, hugging him close. Paulo breathed in her familiar scent, before pulling her into a passionate kiss. He stopped when he heard a cameraphone clicking.

"HA!" screamed Amber, jumping up and down on the sand. He and Li turned around and leapt onto Amber, but not before she had locked her 'unhackable' phone. Hex would not hack it, because Amber would murder him AGAIN. He was literally close to dying again.

"Erm, hello? Mr. Survival Junkie has disappeared!" yelled Paulo, sticking his face between Li and Amber.

"WHAT THE HELL HAS THAT IDIOT GOT UP TO NOOOOWW?" demanded Amber loudly, as Li rolled her eyes.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR AMIGAS, LOOK FOR THE DUDE!" yelled Paulo. Li scurried up a tree.

"The good news, he's ill and he cannot go far. The bad news, he is probably delirious so he's probably in a mess right now." she called down. She leapt from tree to tree, while Paulo searched the ground.

"Bootprints." he announced.

"Great. I'll chase from above." announced Li, swinging her slight body towards the next tree, spreading her lithe form out like a sugar glider, hooking her legs around the tree and propelling herself up. After a minute of climbing, she found a splash of blond, camouflaged by layers of chalky mud.

"You bad boy," scolded Paulo, picking him up and forcing him back to camp.

* * *

"What kind of shenanigans did you get up to now?" drawled Amber, as she and Li sloshed water over his head.

"I was bored." moaned Alex.

"No, you stay in bed. If you had stayed, I would have let you out of bed." lied Paulo, knowing full well that he had absolutely no intention of letting the Northumbrian boy out of his sight.

"Fiiiine." scowled Alex, trooping off to bed again, but unable to hide the relief on his red face when his head hit the pillow. He was soon out like a light.

"Snorin' like a warthog, Paulo you and Alex should have a snoring contest." laughed Hex, as he fed some more wood into the hungry flames.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for not updating yesterday... Practically drowning in homework and studies. Hope you liked it! Thx for the awesome reviews.**

**Author would like to point out that AF charachters belong to Chris Ryan the Awesome Writer and that they only own the plot.**


	9. Chapter 9

As night fell upon the camp, Paulo felt uneasy. He had already checked the fire was under control, the camp clean... He rattled off his duties in his mind, meticulously rereading his mental checklist.

"_Dios_!" yelled Paulo, suddenly forgetting what his last job was... To not let Alex run away again, and to keep him alive. He hoped he was still here. The others would skin him alive.

"Sheesh, some other peeps are trying to goddamn sleep!" snarled Amber. She turned around, relieved to see that Paulo was not dying/hurt. She had thought he was in danger, because the calm Argentinean did not usually curse.

"Is Alex there?" asked Paulo impatiently.

"Yes, he is. Stop being such a mummy hen and go to bed. I need to sleep." growled Hex, stepping out of bed and poking the Northumbrian's ribs. He did not stir. He was obviously passed out. Upon every waking, Hex checked on his palmtop, while Amber scrutinising Hex with a scathing glare.

"Hmmm. Maybe Paulo should be a mom someday." mused Amber halfheartedly. She lay back down and her deep mahogany eyes closed as sleep enveloped her. Slowly, the others let sleep take them...

* * *

"WAKEY WAKEY!" shouted Amber, as she handed round some fried eggs. The AF gang were huddled around their campfire, as dawn broke the sky with its beautiful soft rays of gold. Most of them were half asleep, apart from Hex, who was hammering away at his palmtop, clutching mugs of hot water.

"Good, how did you make these?" asked Paulo, egg yolks smearing his tanned face. He looked like a four year old eating breakfast, smirked Li.

"Easy. I found a birds nest around, and fried them on a banana leaf. Mr. Northumberland, any eggs?" asked Amber sweetly, grinning in her sadistic way as Alex's stomach lurched.

"You must eat, or you will be skin and bones!" reprimanded Paulo, rapping Alex's knuckles gently. Alex backed away, the smell of eggs on Paulo's breath made him want to be sick. He leapt up, and began to sprint away, Paulo haring after him persistently. Li fell into a spasm of giggles, as she watched (and heard) Paulo scolding Alex and insisting that he ate, with an exaggerated motherly tone designed to embarrass Alex. In the end, Paulo won the battle, because he caught up with Alex and sat on him until he agreed to eat. He complied and ate a tiny bit of egg.

"I can make scrambled egg and some mammal patties for dinner if you want, Alex. Just find me an animal I can butcher." snarled Amber sarcastically, as she looked at the full leaf-plate on Alex's lap, before swooping in and grabbing it, then handing it to Hex, who shared with Li and Paulo.

"Hex, have you got a response from my uncle?" demanded Amber.

"No. Damned internet satellite must be jammed by one of those pesky rodents." he snarled back, trying to hack into something else.

"Erm, Hex? There are no rodents in space, unless you count the experimental ones. But nobody sends rodents to space anymore." corrected Li, putting on an exaggerated air of wisdom that earned a laugh from the group.

* * *

Alex actually looks a bit more like than he was before, thought Paulo, as he plaited vines together to make rope, while Amber was using the flexible saw to feed the fire, whilst Li hunted around the canopy for fruits. Hex was hauling things around for the others and Alex was finally allowed to plait some vine for rope. That kept him busy, as his nimble long fingers weaved in and out.

"Alex? You could get a job braiding hair the way you are going." remarked Li, as she handed him a coconut. Hex was taking a break and keying his palmtop, whilst Paulo was taking a _siesta _next to the fire. Amber still hauled wood and fruit, only taking a break to stuff a glucose tablet into her mouth, or dip her coconut half-shell into the freshly boiled water.

Alex tugged at the last remaining length of the stubborn vine, and finally gave the large armful of vines to Li, who put them underneath a lean-to shelter where they kept their kit. He was astonished at the huge coils of vines, medical kit, spare coconuts and a small tin...

"My survival tin!" crowed Alex, leaping into the air with joy, for he thought he had lost it. His knife was still secured to his belt; Hex had took care of it after the others used it.

"And I thought you were the calm one," pointed Li out dryly.

* * *

Amber borrowed Alex's knife to pare a pawpaw fruit, handing it out.

"Amber?" asked Alex, staring down into the chunk of sweet orange fruit.

"Yeaah?" she replied, with her characteristic drawl.

"Don't we have to build a signal fire?" he inquired.

"WELL DUH WE HAVE TO! WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR, A BLOODY IDIOT?!" yelled Amber sarcastically, earning a high five from Paulo. The look on Alex's face was PRICELESS.

**A/N: Thanks to my kind reviewers (Carlos3101) and beta (emmadactryl)for reminding me of my totally random ideas. I plan to do some MAJOR edits soon... **

**Also, if you have any ideas what to happen next, please help me! I will probably end the fic in about a chapter or so, as I have reached a infuriating writers block. However, I am working on another fic right now (Alex Rider) and maybe I will write another AF if you want me to.**


	10. Chapter 10

Amber hooked Alex's flexible saw between her slender fingers and picked up a pair of sturdy branches. She sawed a few lengths of wood, before settling herself down inside the tool shelter. Alex was finally allowed to do some minor work, after hours of whining and complaining (very un-Alex like behaviour but he was desperate), with Paulo's consent. The team worked in a comfortable silence; Paulo gathering, Hex sawing, Li climbing for fruit and Amber sorting supplies.

As Paulo hefted a large armful of branches, he saw something odd between the thick green leaves of the jungle. He heard the telltale sounds of wheezing, and as he lumbered forwards to investigate, he found something quite shocking. Mr. Northumberland was standing by a gnarled tree, clinging on to it like a lifeline.

"ALEX!" screamed Li, bursting like a comet through the foliage. Apparently she had been following him. Paulo's eyes widened as he saw his friend clutching the tree, coughing like there was no tomorrow. As Paulo and Li approached, Alex began panting. Hard. Li's features seemed to morph from worry to full scale panic as they watched the light leave Alex's grey eyes as he fell to the ground...

* * *

Li yelled loudly, as she leapt forwards, bracing her body, trying to support Alex.. Alex's limp body flopped like a dead weight on top of her. Her white face reddened, as she struggled with the strain of supporting his body with her petite frame. Although she could lift heavy weights, Alex was HEAVY. Paulo lowered Alex onto the floor, his larger muscles easily shaping a

"Stick him in the recovery position!" squealed Li, her fingers in her mouth. Paulo felt a slight bulge in his pocket. An inhaler.

"PAULO WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING SAVE HIS BLOODY LIFE!" yelled Li, finally on the verge of panic. Tears streaked down her face. Paulo decidedly began CPR, before blasting two pumps of the inhaler down Alex's throat. As he removed the cylinder, he noticed that it had flecks of black on it. Crap. That was bad.

"Li? Do you think Alex has busted a lung?" inquired Paulo, as he feverishly felt for Alex's pulse, which was growing stronger. He was relieved; he did NOT want to go around giving him the kiss of life. Doing it to the poacher was bad enough, but unlike this one, he did not have soot in his lungs. He shuddered as he recollected the taste of the cheap, stale whisky and cigarettes, frowning in disgust.

"Hmm? Maybe, you should check when we get back to camp." she replied, dazed and shocked at the happenings of a few moments ago.

* * *

"OH MY GOD!" whispered Amber, as she saw Alex draped on top of the Argentinean. As he set him down, Alex began to stir. Paulo hurriedly began examining him with the aid of some tongue depressors, torch and latex gloves. Alex slowly began to wake, though his eyes slid around; unfocused.

"Heh? What the heck?" Alex asked, bemused at Paulo who was now tutting and poking more instruments into Alex, nearly jabbing him in the eye as the blond boy twitched.

"Jesus, you scared us!" sighed Hex, suddenly looming up behind them, shadowing Alex, before being scolded by Paulo for blocking the sun.

"Oh Christ, Paulo what the hell is that black stuff on those gloves?" asked Amber doubtfully.

"That, my dear Amber, is rock hard evidence that your friend here decided to inhale a bunch of smoke, and maybe bust a lung. Obviously not ruling out those disgusting chemical fuels in the boat. Not punctured of course, but if he did, he would..." replied Paulo, trailing off at the disgusted look on Amber's face, as she stepped back, tripping over a log, landing on her butt.

"No, really! Do you believe..." continued Paulo energetically, before being shushed by Amber's stormy glare.

* * *

The evening sun set into a dazzling shade of warm red color, as the 5 teens sat upon by the unlit signal fire, smearing coconut oil onto themselves. Each member was lost in their own thoughts.

"Talk time. Who wants to go first?" whispered Alex hoarsely, Paulo keeping an eye on him.

"Me." Paulo's voice rang out quietly. "John Middleton has just sent Hex an e-mail. He should be here by this time tomorrow. Then we are getting Alex checked up, WETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!" Paulo flared up, as Alex opened his mouth to protest.

"Why? There is absolutely nothing wrong I am..." Alex was cut off by a series of tutting and glaring, both with varying degrees of annoyance.

"Don't you dare. We saw you pass out twice, and you have been sick for the time we have been on this island. AND you just had to bust a lung or something, and you let Paulo do all his grisly details on internal bleeding! EW!" snarled Amber, rearing up on the balls of her feet, her fierce glare subsiding from a painful dig in the ribs administered by Hex. She sat down again, disgruntled.

"Exactly. Just stay put. Besides, some of the chemical fumes can be quite poisonous, as well as inhaling smoke. That can cause a chemical reaction. A bad one, though I cannot exactly specify." said Hex firmly, his green eyes kind but foreboding. Alex rolled his eyes. Although Hex had aced his chemistry GCSEs, he still doubted his friend's IQ when it came to something that did not involve hacking. Which was very bad, because Hex was practically a supergenius.

"Hmpphh! You guys are such mother hens." muttered Alex grumpily, upset that the others did not let him do anything, but inwardly knowing they were right.

"Alex, you passed out today, just after 30 seconds of jogging, and we could hear you wheezing from that palm tree over there. And, you were seriously running around in circles, your eyes betraying the fact that you were dizzy. Now, if what you have is 'fine', then what is it to be ill?" reprimanded Li, rapping him gently on the knuckles.

After so much more arguing, the five just lapsed into a comfortable silence and stared into the distance

* * *

**YAY MIDTERMS! Like I promised, I will do some major edits soon. Thx to all my kind reviewers who have so kindly informed me of my mistakes. If you find any problems with this story, please PM me.**

**xxx**

**J**


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey guys. John Middleton will be here soon." Hex grinned triumphantly at his palmtop.

"About time too, I was beginning to get bored of this island." remarked Li, dragging her fingers through her shiny black hair. She deftly pulled it back into a long plait.

"You? You are bored? How can you be bored? The snake, Alex, the entire survival thingy." explained Paulo, shaking his head at his friend's antics.

"Well, Paulo, at least there is no komodo dragon to annihilate us this time. Oh, and we need to pack up our 'proper' gear." sighed Hex.

Amber and Alex were still sprawled in their A-Frame beds; Alex because he was still asleep, Amber because she was way to lazy to get up. As the three talked, Amber heard a long yawn beside her.

**"Guten Morgen, Herr Northumberland** (good morning Mr. Northumberland)." smirked Amber, as she spoke a greeting in German, a skill that Alex lacked. She was greeted by a blank stare.

"Ah. **Herr Northumbria ist sehr idiot weil er schleif, Li, Paulo und Hex zubereitetes Frühstück.** (Ah. Mr Northumbria is such an idiot, because while you were sleeping Li, Paulo and Hex made breakfast)" snarled Amber, laughing at Alex's blank look of confusion.

"What?" he asked, bemused. Amber decided to have more fun with him.

_"Oui, monseiur Alex. Vous dormiez tandis que les autres ont préparé le repas_ (You slept whilst others made the meal). How many times do I have to say 'you slept while the others cooked'?!" sneered Amber. Her previous statements were spoken in French, yet again a skill which Alex lacked in. Paulo had understood some of it, and was in argument with Li whether Amber had called Alex a hamster or not.

"For Christ's sake, in French, hamster is _une hamster_. _Dormiez_ means slept. And **idiot** means fool, how dense are you?" argued Li.

"But _dormiez_ sounds like dormice! Dor-mice!" debated Paulo.

"No. Its pronounced dor-mee-ye. In French, when there is an 'e' before a consonant, you don't say the last letter! Like in _très,_you do not pronounce the 's'. You say tray." explained Li.

"Ah. I still do not get it." Paulo had the same confused look on his face, just like Alex's.

* * *

**Sorry about the short chapter. I am writing this in my relative's place: their WiFi is bad after nine o'clock. Anyway, the second half of the day is about to be continued. **

**N:B: Yes, I do speak some French and German. **

**P.S: BOLD= German**

**_Italics=_**_ French_

**Anyway, merci for reading this chapter. I promise to have another one up in a day or so. **

**WARNING: THE FIC WILL END IN ABOUT 2 MORE CHAPTERS! **

**AUTHOR WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT NONE OF THE AF CHARACTERS BELONG TO HER. THEY BELONG TO CHRIS RYAN (EVEN THOUGH I WISH THEY WERE MINE). **

**OKAY. I need to stop waffling. **

**xxx**

**J**


	12. Chapter 12

After Li and Amber had meticulously gone over the rules of French and German grammar, all three of the boys were in varying states of annoyance. Alex was scowling to the floor, Paulo was swearing in his native Spanish, and Hex was pacing the sandy beach, uttering what sounded like even more cuss words. Li and Amber were gossiping triumphantly. Until Hex's palmtop beeped.

"Holy s..." Hex paled at the email. Amber rushed over and snatched it from his grasp. She too, dropped the palmtop on the ground. Wordlessly, she handed the handheld computer to the others, who looked shocked or angry, with Li; both.

_Hex,_

_Apologies. The chopper we planned to send in ruptured its fuel tank whilst flying over Budapest. I'm sorry, you might have to hang in there for a bit. I'm going to try and get a bird in from Singapore._

_John Middleton_

"Damn. Is Alex going to make 'a bit'?" asked Hex pointedly, addressing the South American with a cool stare.

"Eh? Erm. He's getting better, sure, but there is still the risk of infection or toxins..." murmured Paulo cryptically.

"Hang on. We're not babies. If there is bad news, then we should know." quoted Alex. That had been Hex's first friendly word to the group.

"Well. I knew someone who had been in a car accident, and inhaled some of those creepy car cleaning chemicals. He died about a week later. The hospital didn't check his lungs, or his blood. They just gave him a tetanus shot and kicked him out of the place, cause' he was poor." whispered Paulo pensively.

"So, is Alex going to, you know..." The sentence hung in the air, as Hex trailed off. Alex suddenly felt light-headed with terror. He fought to conceal the panic that was threatening to explode.

"Are you OK?" asked Amber worriedly. She was far more terrified of his death than she cared to let on.

"Yeah. Fine. Just got a headache." muttered Alex gruffly, traipsing off to lie down in his bed.

"Oh my God. He's really sick, isn't he Paulo?" breathed Amber.

* * *

Alex lay facing the ocean. He feared for his life.

"Alex?" whispered Li, tiptoeing over to his bed.

"Yeah?" muttered Alex, not looking at her.

"You're going to be all right. Remember you promised that I wouldn't die? Just give me your word." Hex's voice appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Yeah. I'll live." Alex grasped Hex's hand and hauled himself out of bed.

* * *

Alex looked more gaunt than ever, even more than he had when he had been drugged at the rave. His pale skin hung off his face, bones so prominent that he looked delicate. But skeletal was the more accurate word.

"Jesus. He looks worse than before." whispered Amber.

"Well, at least he isn't coughing up black stuff anymore." muttered Paulo cryptically. He tried to appear nonchalant, but inwardly he knew that Alex was losing the battle. But he was stronger than the guy who had been kicked out. But that was then. Now Alex looked so weak and fragile; he wasn't the same anymore. Paulo closed his eyes.

"HEY! Oh my God! My uncle's sending a chopper in here soon! Hex just got the email!" squealed Amber jumping up and dow in excitement, her sad mood evaporating from the glorious news.

"We are saved!" yelled Paulo, doing a mad war-dance of sorts on the beach. Li hopped up from her log and began dancing with him.

"Um... Maybe not. It said that it will be here by sundown TOMORROW." corrected Hex in annoyance.

"Well, we are still saved!" crowed Paulo, he and Li grabbing each of Hex's arms and dancing around happily, Hex yelping as he was dragged to and fro. Amber joined in, grooving to an imaginary tune.

* * *

"Hey!" scowled Li. She had felt a skeletal hand travel up and down her arm. But when she looked up, there was nothing there. Sighing to herself, she stretched out in her bed and closed her eyes again.

A subtle shaking followed by a scream shook her out of her dreamless sleep.

"Guys! Are you OK?" Amber's shout echoed around the beach.

"Fine!" Hex yelled back.

"Li and Paulo OK!" hooted Paulo.

"Ummm... Do we have some kind of crisis?" A Geordie accent sounded by Paulo's foot, resulting in the Argentinean scaring everyone with a earsplitting yell.

"DIOS MIO! You scared the hell out of me!" Paulo panted, helping his friend up. His fluffy blond hair was covered in sand, and his face was a white as a sheet. As Paulo's hhand contacted Alex's, he felt a warm sensation in his hand. Warm enough to be hot.

"Crazy nightmare. Thought I was buried alive." grimaced Alex, brushing the sand off his clothes. Pounding feet on the sand made them turn around.

"What the heck just happened?" hollered Amber loudly. Paulo quietly filled her in, with Li beside him, taking it all in.

"So he's like, you know, nuts?" whispered Li anxiously.

"No. He's delirious. In other words, bonkers or whatever you want to call it." sighed Paulo.

* * *

**A/N: Hear the dunnn dunnn dunnnn... music in the background? **

**Unfortunately, I can't really write every day now :( stupid school... midterms are over in 2 days. But I got this one posted, and I will try to get one up by next week! **

**Thanks for reading this! And, none of the characters belong to me! They belong to Chris Ryan! If I owned them, the AF series would never end. But since it did, suffice it to say I do NOT own any of them. :)**


End file.
